The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-13
A FLORIDA MASTODON.
The Mammoth Skeleton DR.. Kost is
Transferring to the College.


Transferring to the College.
From the Lake city (Fld. } Tobacco Plant
The recent discovery of the bones of some
animal of extraordinary dimensions in the
Ichetucknee river and the recovery of some
of them therefrom by the Sparkman broth
ers, has already been noticed.
Reports of the find reaching DR.. j. Kost,
our State Geologist, and also Professor of
Geology, etc, in the State Agricultural Col
lege at this place, he Immediately set about
a systematic investigation looking to the
recovery in the interest of his science of the
entire keleton, or so much of it as might be
available. Learning that a Mr. Mccormick,
| residing some three miles this side Fort
| White, and about mile from the river,
had been first to discover the bones, and that
he also knew of the location of other por-
tlons of the huge frame, communication
was had with him which resulted in DR..
kost visiting the locality, and beginning at
| once prosecution of the work of recovery,
which he is still pushing forward with no
little inconvenience and with much expense
to himself He hopes however, to obtain a
sufficient portion of the skeleton to enatle
him to set it up entire at the college museum.
The bones are distributed for a considera-
BILE distance along the run of the Ichetucknee
river some three miles above its confluence
with the Santa Fe, and at the points of de-
pcsit is about 100 yards wide and very shall
low, being but from two to six feet in
depth. II is a beautiful stream, clear as
crystal and sbounding in fish the shores
fringed with varied forest growth, under
meath which is a fine hummock soil, and
numerous bold and clear springs gush
out along the banks of the
stream, which has its origin above
in a similar one of larger size. Cattle
browse it, wading in and feeding upon the
green growth under the surface of the
water. The bottom is compact and sticky,
like prairie SOIL and is composed of COM
pound of shell mari, clay sand, muck, etc.
The huge animal probably begged down
where its remains were found when the
stream ran much above its present level and
before the existing channel was cut out by
the action of the water. 1t belonged to
some post-tertiarv age and the species prob
ably became extinct some time after the ap-
pearance of man.
The specimens recovered lay on the bottom
from to feet under water, well out into
the stream and opposite a very pretty slope
of bank, and as already stated were taken
out with much difficulty and expense, DR..
Kost having a force Of men at work in the
water for several days.
Estimating from the dimensions of the
specimens recovered the living animal stood
about IL feet in height by "A in length, was
some feet across the hips and about
across the forehead. The tusks are q feet
apart at the tips, are So feet in
length and 10 inches in diameter.
They were obtained entire, but broken
in recovery. They were fine specimens
of ivory and the measurement given is ex-
elusive of the portion socketed in the skull
They curve upward like those of an ele-
plant. The whole Of the inferior maxilla-
ry or lower jaw with most of the teeth and
other bones have been recovered. The mo-
lars are enormous, weighing several pounds
each. Most of the skull was taken out
though badly broken, ell the bones being
very brittle, and much decomposed; several
carpus bones one entire and several frag-
ments of vertebr@, the sacrum entire two
large sections of the pelvis and scapula or
shoulderblade, specimens of coprolite; fe-
muir, or thigh bone, entire, the dimensions
of which are 31S feet in length, IA
inches in diameter, and 20 inches
on a transverse of the protuberance of the
articulating extremity. Other of the bones
are now being recovered, and there is
another deposit farther up the river. The
animal was very old, as indicated by the
worn condition of the tusks and surface of
the teeth, and Dr.. Kost says it is the largest
skeleton of the Mastodon Americans he
has ever seen, and he has handled several
setting up one complete at Adrian (Mich.)
College. This will be his third if he sue
ceeds in setting it up at the college here, as
is his intention, and it will be great card
for the institution.
The bones of other rrastodons and of the
mammoth Elephas Primogenus have been
found at various places in Florida, but this
is the first to be utilized in the interest of
science in our home institutions.
The mastodon was an elephant-like ami
NAL, but also somewhat after the model of
an OK, was comparatively harmless with all
his great bulk and was graminivorousra rather
than carniverous, feeding upon the foliage
of trees and other vegetable products.